Brookland

Friar Jason Welle has been living at Brookland’s Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America for five years, working on his dissertation at Georgetown University and ministering to constituents. But the runner and beer fan also finds much to like outside the gates of his adopted home. What do...

Located on a hill four miles north of the U.S. Capitol, Brookland earns its nickname of “Little Rome” with a swath of churches, schools and chapels catering to the Catholic community. Arty attractions and casual restaurants – many beer-driven – also make it worth exploring.

Mother Teresa, Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II and other religious figures have visited the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception , paying tribute at the largest Roman Catholic Church in North America, and the 10th largest in the world. With its dozens of chapels devoted to the Virgin Mary,...